PITTSBURGH – It felt like a different sting when the Pittsburgh Penguins lost to the Los Angeles Kings. They failed to gain ground in the standings, and the Penguins lost on one of the most important nights in their franchise’s history.
The Penguins saw a lead late in the third period slip away on the same night they officially retired Jaromir Jagr’s No. 68. All of the happy faces and good vibes evaporated in minutes. Not only did the mood sour, but that may have cost the Penguins their season.
There are still 30 games remaining on the Penguins’ schedule, and they have games in hand on teams, but they aren’t succeeding when given the right opportunities to push.
With Jake Guentzel out of the lineup, Sidney Crosby has felt like the only source of offense. The goaltending has been solid, but they aren’t getting much help from their defenders.
Sitting with a 24-21-7 record, the Penguins are seventh in the Metropolitan Division and seven points out of the second wild card spot. Their odds of making the playoffs continued to slip after their gut punch to the Kings.
According to moneypuck.com, the Penguins have a 33.4% chance of making the postseason, good for 10th among Eastern Conference teams. With only eight teams per conference making the playoffs, it’s safe to say the Penguins are unlikely to get back to the dance.
33.4% isn’t the lowest the odds have been all season, but they’re far from the 82.2% chance they held last month. Since coming out of the All-Star break, the Penguins are 2-4-0, and the schedule is only getting more challenging.
The Penguins are sinking fast, and there is no help on the way. There isn’t one trade or addition that can completely fix what’s wrong with the team. They still have a chance, but it’s a long shot, and they haven’t shown any reason to believe they can still make a run.
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